Fixing Wrongs
by GC4life
Summary: Konoha was destroyed, it's inhabitants killed. The war has taken its toll and nothing remains anymore. Naruto, one of the few survivors left, takes matters into his own hands to fix what has happened. Sending his fellow survivors back in time, he hopes to stop the war before it even happens. Smart/strong Naruto.
1. Chapter 1

**So I've had this story in my notebook for a while now and just found it today when I was cleaning my closet. It's not complete but I know everything that's going to happen so hopefully no massive brain malfunctions while I'm writing. At first I was going to wait to put this up, but I'm going to be moving pretty soon and I might forget about the notebook sooooo- here it is. Hope you enjoy! Please review!**

**I do not own Naruto.**

_**Chapter 1: New Mission**_

The village of Konoha was in ruins. Smoke filled the sky and bodies littered the streets. The once beautiful village was now only shattered remains of the war. Merely two months ago the village had still stood strong. Now it was empty. The only structure still standing was the grand Hokage mountain. Worn and crumbling, the faces of past leaders stared out at their broken home, cracks littering their faces, giving the stone a heavy, grieving feeling.

"Sorry dad," a voice croaked from atop the stone heads. "I failed you. I failed everyone." His once blond hair was matted with blood and his light blue eyes filled with unshed tears. A bitter smile twisted his lips. "As expected of a demon."

At the edge of his senses, he could feel familiar presences making their way towards the village.

"But don't worry," he laughed, coughing up blood. "I know they can fix it."

"Naruto!" a frantic voice called. Pounding footsteps sounded near him. They stopped only a few short feet away and he could hear their breath hitch painfully.

"Oh no," Sakura gasped, taking in the mangled body of her dear friend. Rushing forward she fell to her knees and pulsed healing chakra into her hands. They had all made it this far, how could she let him leave them now?

"I-I found him!" she cried, praying the others would hear her past her sobs. "Oh Naruto, what have you done?"

Naruto smiled up at her warmly but didn't say anything. He needed to save his strength for what was to come.

Soon enough, the rest of his remaining friends surrounded him, panic and worry etched on their faces. The dull ache that always followed when he noticed the empty places of people who should be there but would never appear again hit him just as hard as it always did.

Hinata sobbed brokenly as she spotted the large hole in his chest. It was to close to his heart. Even the Kyuubi would have a difficult problem healing such a wound. Ino hugged her tightly, whether to comfort Hinata or herself she didn't know.

"Oi," Kiba said shakily. "What'd you do this time you idiot?"

Naruto chuckled before coughing harshly, blood dribbling down his chin.

"Dobe," Sasuke hissed angrily. "Who the hell said you could go off on your own?"

Shino stared down at him blankly, but Naruto recognized the furrow between his brows. The bug user was angry, but pain was just as evident.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed, kneeling down next to his fallen leader.

"Sorry guys, but it had to be done," Naruto whispered.

"Why?" Sakura choked. "Why did you go alone?!"

He wanted to wipe away the tears on her face, he really did. However with one hand preparing a seal for something supposedly impossible and the other lying somewhere around the village it was hard to muster up the strength to do anything really.

"Because," Naruto replied, determination flashing through his eyes, "I had to make sure he wouldn't follow you."

His friends looked confused but Shikamaru leaned forward.

"I knew it," he muttered. Naruto blinked up at him. "I knew you were planning something."

The smile returned, a mischievous tint tilting one corner of his mouth higher than the other. "Should've known you would have noticed, no matter how hard I tried. I assume Sasuke had a feeling as well?"

The others glanced at the raven-haired man only to receive a non-committal shrug.

"I thought so."

"N-Naruto," Hinata swallowed, attempting to stem her tears. It had been a long time since her stutter had made an appearance. "What do you m-mean by follow?"

Naruto closed his eyes. This was it. After months of careful planning, it was finally time to set his plan into motion.

"I am sending you on a mission," he remarked, opening his eyes to stare at them solemnly. "Sakura, stop. It won't work."

The pinkette glared at him angrily.

"Don't waste you're chakra. I'm still not one hundred percent sure how this will affect you. You have seen wounds like this in the past, you know what will happen."

She frowned uncertainly but did not move her hands.

"Please," he pleaded. "I might not be able to go through with it if I think it will hurt one of you."

"But-"

"Please."

She looked him in the eye, noting the familiar steel glint. Whatever he was planning it was big. After a long moment of hesitation she slowly pulled her hands away.

"Thank you," he sighed, ignoring how it had suddenly become harder to breath. "All of you come closer, we have to do this quickly."

"Do what?" Kiba questioned. He kneeled down with the others around the blond.

Naruto took a deep breath, pushing the pain away. "For the last few months I've been trying to find a way to defeat Madara." They listened intently, causing him to smile. "In my search I found various types of time manipulation jutsu. As you know, those were Madara's main techniques so I decided to study those more closely. During my studies I found various amounts of incomplete seals. These seals are the reason I came here today.

He paused, rolling his head to look over the destroyed village.

"Even if we managed to kill Madara and win the war nothing would really change. The war has gone on for to long. It has destroyed everything."

The remaining Konoha twelve stared sadly at his desolate face. They knew it was true. To much had been taken away.

"But," Naruto's voice sharpened as he turned back to look at them with a smile. "I found a way to fix it. To fix everything."

"What?" Ino whispered.

"I decided to send you all back. To stop what has happened."

"I don't understand," Hinata frowned. "Send us back where?"

"To a time when everything was okay."

Shikamaru stared at him incredulously. "You mean time travel."

The others looked equally shocked.

"That's," Kiba started. "That's impossible!"

"Anything is possible, dog-breath."

"Oi!"

"But Naruto," Ino cut in, stopping the potential argument. "If it was possible, wouldn't someone have already done it?"

"Others have tried," he responded. "The massive amount of incomplete seals is proof of that."

"Then what makes you think you can do it dobe?" Sasuke's question was more curious than anything else. Ever since the man's return he had never truly questioned Naruto's abilities though he mocked him relentlessly nonetheless.

A smirk twisted Naruto's lips. "I just so happen to have more resources than they did." They all thought of the demon residing in their blond Kage. "Unfortunately," he sighed, "the same could be said for Madara."

"And that's why you-" Sakura began.

"And that's why I had to kill him before you left."

"Naruto," Shino spoke up, his bugs shifting uneasily. "The way you have been speaking is rather confusing. You are planning on coming with us are you not?"

He smiled sadly at them. This would be the hard part. "No."

Surprisingly it was Sasuke who snapped first.

"What do you mean no, usuratonkachi?!" He barely stopped himself from punching the moron in the face. "You're leaving us to fix this shit by ourselves!? It's you're plan, don't shove it onto others."

"I'm sorry, but I-"

"Bull shit," Shikamaru snapped. The others jumped. They hadn't heard him this angry since they lost Chouji three years ago. "You think we haven't noticed? How you blame yourself for everything that's happened? How you torture yourself needlessly? You think you can just go die and everything will be okay?"

"Shika," Naruto whispered, his eyes wide and face pale.

"No!" he barked. "Stop pitying yourself! Do you think we would follow you so honestly if we believed any of this was your fault? I know you are smarter than you would have us believe but you're still a hopeless moron. This is a dangerous plan. We might even end up making things worse. We need a leader, and that can only be you. None of us have studied seals like you have and something might go wrong. Don't give us hope when you are planning on destroying it in the end."

Sakura brushed the hair out of Naruto's face, revealing vulnerable blue eyes.

"We all love you Naruto, and we would follow you through anything. We need you and you need us. We can't do this without you."

"But," Naruto croaked. "All those people who died, and the village, was all because I was not strong enough. None of that would have happened if-"

"If Madara wasn't bat shit insane," Kiba fumed. "He killed everyone, not you."

Ino reached out and placed a gently hand on his scarred cheek. "You did everything you could, Naruto. You've given everything to this village. No one blames you for what happened, except yourself."

Naruto squeezed his eyes shut. There had been so many times were he could have killed Madara, but had failed because he was not strong enough. All the pain, all the death, it was exactly what he had always feared. For years he had been hated, and resented for pain he had not caused. AS a child he had been told that one day he would destroy everything around him.

And it happened. His dream to be Hokage, the one he barreled toward with stubborn determination and will, had been reached and he had started to believe that maybe he wasn't the monster people claimed him to be. Hokages were protectors. They defended their village and their loved ones with everything they had. Naruto had finally believed that he had pushed past all those cruel prophecies, only for his village to be burned to the ground not even a month later. He protected nothing.

He had failed.

And yet his friends were trying to convince him it was not his fault. Why didn't they blame him? Why didn't they see him how everyone else had? What was so important about him that made them follow him so blindly into every situation?

"We will not leave you behind, do you know why?" Shino spoke, pushing his glasses up with his forefinger. Naruto looked up at him curiously. "Just as my bugs are connected to one another, so to are we all connected. We are family, though not by blood, just as my bugs are. Family leaves no one behind."

Oh. Naruto had always believed them to be family, but he had never dared to believe the sentiment would be returned. He closed his eyes, wondering what he would think if one of them were in his position. An ironic smile made its way onto his face.

"I would be pissed," he thought in amusement. "If they tried to stay behind."

But still…

"I'm dying," Naruto sighed, feeling even weaker than before. "When I send you back, I can't send your bodies. That was one part of the seal even I couldn't complete. What I will be using is your memories, your experiences. They will be reversed in time to the you of the past. I made this seal specifically with only six people in mind. With how injured I am, I have no idea when I would be sent back. It could be completely pointless, and I might not even remember anything. It could mess up the seal some how!"

"It is worth it," Hinata smiled warmly. "Having you with us, no matter what the cost, will always be worth it."

Tears pricked his eyes for the first time in years.

"Guys… I .."

Sasuke snorted. "Just do it dobe. You're wasting time."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Way to ruin the moment, teme." Closing his eyes he focused on his remaining chakra. The group's eyes widened as a complicated seal began to appear on his body.

The seal wavered, before slithering along his body and down his remaining arm, swirling together into a ball that looked shockingly familiar to the Rasengan.

"Place your hands on the seal," Naruto choked out shakily. His already deathly pale skin went whiter and his partially healed wounds ripped open.

They quickly put their hands on the spiraling black orb, not wanting to prolong his pain.

A pulse of chakra traveled through their bodies as the sphere began to turn white.

"If I don't regain my memories," Naruto wheezed, "do not allow me to ruin this chance."

"Naruto-" Sakura started.

"No!" he barked harshly, his chest heaving. "I have already failed once. I can't afford to make the same mistake."

Before they could reply the seal burst burst into light, expanding to surround them.

"Good luck," Naruto smiled as they felt their eyes begin to close. The last thing they saw before everything went dark was his sad smile as a single tear slid down his face. "…and I'm sorry."

**Alrighty, first chapter done! I like how this turned out, but any constructive criticism would be welcome. Please review! Flames will be ignored.**


	2. Chapter 2: Waking up

**Second Chapter up! Just a heads up, if I don't update in the next four days it might be awhile before the next chapter is up. I'm moving then and it'll take a few days before I will be able to find the time to do much. Hopefully I can finish up a few chapters before that but I thought I should warn you darling readers just in case. **

**Thank you 'Sanz0girl' for your review! I'm glad you liked it :)**

**Enjoy this next chapter and please review!**

**I do not own Naruto.**

-00-

Chapter 2: Waking up

-00-

The brutality of the war destroyed any semblance of normal life there once was. It did not matter if you were rich or poor, strong or weak, smart or dumb. Every aspect of life was changed. The five nations, united for the first time in history, were in danger of being completely eradicated.

Food and water became scarce. Safe shelter no longer existed. An attack could come from anywhere at anytime, for no other reason than to rid the world of another life. It was a dark and terrible time.

In the end, it was those quickest to adapt to the changes that survived the longest. Ninjas were used to harsh circumstances, but nothing of this level. Many skills used to keep them alive were seemingly basic ones that even the civilians managed to pick up.

One such skill was the ability to rest without really resting. It was more of a half sleep. Nowhere was safe, therefore leaving oneself in such a vulnerable state was not an option. Never really reaching a full state of unconsciousness, civilians and ninjas were able to awaken at a seconds notice and have the same reactions if they had been awake the entire time. More than once this has given civilians time to escape an attack and ninjas the chance to retaliate. It became more of a reflex than anything else.

Which is why, when Yoshino Nara went to wake her lazy son up, it was only her swift reflexes and her sons surprising lack of coordination that allowed her to barely avoid the fist aiming for her stomach.

"Shikamaru!" she yelped, trying to regain her balance.

The boy froze halfway through a slightly off center kick and had she not just been attacked she would have marveled at her sons balance.

"…Mom?" His voice was soft and confused and his hands flew to his throat as if he had not been expecting the sound.

Yoshino looked down at her son in worry. She had never seen the lazy boy so worked up. His hair was a mess, and his plain green pajamas were askew. His eyes shone with the barest hints of panic.

"What's wrong dear?"

"Mom," he said again.

She kneeled down in front of him and reached out to touch his cheek. Her worry deepened when he flinched away.

"Shikamaru, what's wrong? What happened sweetie?"

Shikamaru blinked before his face reverted to its usually impassive state.

"Sorry mom," he mumbled, looking off to the side.

This time when she reached for him he remained still, but she noticed him tense slightly. Gently, so as not to startle him, she pulled him into a soft embrace.

"It's fine. What happened?"

Shikamaru hesitated, as if not sure what to do, before his thin arms wrapped around her and he returned the hug with intensity.

"Nothing just-" he paused. "I just had a troublesome dream."

"My poor baby," Yoshino thought sadly, running her hand through his hair. "Do you want to talk about it?" He shook his head and her shoulder felt suspiciously wet. "Alright, you don't have to. It's over now, you're safe."

His grip tightened and she almost felt bad for thinking he was adorable.

They sat there for a few minutes before Yoshino reluctantly pulled away. She almost cooed when red tinged eyes met hers. Brushing the hair away from his face she smiled at him warmly.

"Now, why don't you go take a shower while I go make some breakfast. How does tamagoyaki sound?"

"Troublesome," Shikamaru sighed.

Yoshino rolled her eyes. Her un-cute son had returned.

"Alright, see you soon." With a loving kiss on his forehead she stood up and made her way downstairs.

Shikamaru let out a shaky breath once she was gone. It had worked. He didn't know how Naruto managed it but it had worked. His mother was alive, and there were no shadows of the war in her eyes.

He looked down at his hands blankly. They were so small. No callouses or scars marred his skin.

"Well," he thought. "That's about to change."

Taking his mothers suggestion, he got up and walked over to his dresser. He pulled out a pair of black ninja pants, a long sleeved fishnet shirt, and a blank tank top. Folding them over his arm he walked out into the hallway. Half way down he realized he didn't really know where the bathroom was.

"Troublesome," he groaned, shifting through old memories of his house. He was fairly sure it was the next door on the right. Shrugging, he ambled over and hesitantly pulled the door open.

The bathroom was a simple one. It was a warm brown in color and had the usual shower, toilet, sink, and cabinet.

Shikamaru decided to ignore the bitterness he felt for not knowing his own home and instead focused on what he should do next, and how to get in contact with the others.

He paused.

"That idiot!" He slammed his head into the wall. "He didn't even tell us _when_ he was sending us back."

Massaging his temples, Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome."

-00—

"Stop nagging me woman!" Kiba barked. He was trying his best to sound annoyed when all he really wanted to do was sweep the woman in front of him into a bone-breaking hug.

"Show some respect you little brat," Tsume growled. She dragged him to the table and shoved him into a chair. "Trying to skip out on my cooking huh?" She sent him a vicious smirk, showing her pearly white fangs. "I don't think so. It's an important day, and knowing how dumb you can be you'll need all the help you can get."

"What's today?" Kiba questioned half-heartedly, his eyes never leaving her figure. He was wearing his 'old' grey coat with the furred hood, and a pair of grey shinobi pants. He tapped his sandaled feet subconsciously as she began to cook.

She whirled around from where she had been preparing a plate for him and pointed at him angrily.

"You see?! You don't even know when your academy starts!"

Kiba choked on his own spit. "Starts?!"

"Yes, starts," Tsume huffed, placing the plate in front of him. "What, did you think you graduated already? You've got one more year before you can even dream of it Gaki!"

"One more year," her son mumbled dazedly.

She ruffled his hair fondly. "You're gettin close kid."

He mumbled under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I've gotta go!" He yelled, leaping up from the table. Snatching his plate he ran out the door. "I'll eat this on the way, thanks mom!"

Hana walked through the door, twisting out of the way as Kiba barreled through.

"Kiba? Where's the fire?"

"Sorry, gotta go! Love ya sis!"

Hana blinked in shock. Since when did Kiba tell her he loved her? She turned to her mother who was in a similar state of shock.

"Mom? What's up with Kiba?"

"He took the plate," Tsume muttered before her lips twisted into a frown. "One of my favorite plates." She ran to the door and raised her fist into the air. "Get back here you snot nosed brat!"

-00—

Shino sat silently at the dining room table, staring at his father while he ate.

His father had been one of the last of those that died. He died as a hero, protecting Kurenai and her daughter, Asuna. Shino had been proud of his father, and though he was saddened at the loss, his father had died an honorable death.

So when news reached them that the people his father had sacrificed himself for had been ambushed and killed he had been infuriated. It was at that time that he came to understand how Sasuke could have been so overwhelmed by hatred and the need for vengeance.

He had spent weeks tracking down those involved in the attack, and had it not been for his teammates and Naruto, he would have joined his father in the afterlife.

It had taken a long time for Shino to recover, both mentally and physically. His team was always there for him, and even the rest of his former classmates made sure to check up on him and give their support. Yet even with all of their attempts, the mournful rage he had felt since Kurenai and Asuna's death had would not go away.

In the end it was Naruto, the boy they could not help but envy fore he had no family to lose, that broke through his barrier and set him back on the right path.

Shino had already respected him as a leader and a friend, but after that moment he saw something greater in Naruto. Something that made him so unwaveringly loyal that even his bugs deferred to the blond. And, once again, Naruto had given him a gift he was not entirely sure he deserved.

"Father," he began, staring at the man he had always idolized. There were so many things he had never told the man, so many questions left unasked.

The man glanced up, his shades glinting. His son rarely spoke up, especially in the mornings. Shino never had liked getting up early in the morning.

"I-" A harsh knocking sounded from the front door, causing Shino to scowl at the interruption.

"I-" he tried again.

"Shino!" a familiar voice yelled, echoing through the house. "Open the door! I know you're in there!"

Shino sighed and excused himself from the table. Shibi watched him go with one eyebrow raised.

Kiba was just about to start another round of knocks when the irate bug user flung open the door.

"Finally!" Kiba huffed. "Do you know how long I've been standing here?"

"Approximately 8.673 seconds."

Kiba rolled his eyes.

Shino sent the dog user a questioning look.

"Akamaru is getting Hinata. Don't look at me like that. Why would I plan a sneak attack now of all times?"

Shino folded his arms.

"So what? It had seemed like a good idea at the time."

…

"Shut up! Anyways, I've got big news."

Shino tilted his head.

"Today is the first day of the academy."

Shino blinked in shock.

"I know! My mom told me we had one more year till graduation."

He uncrossed his arms.

Kiba shrugged. "I don't know, but he might have planned it that way."

Shino stepped back and opened the door wider.

Kiba nodded and stepped in. "You're right, we should ask him. I'll wait for you here."

Shibi stared at the young Inuzuka from the kitchen doorway. Apparently this boy knew his son so well that not only had he been able to understand the silent comments but Shino trusted him enough to let him in the house and leave him on his own.

Kiba looked around, catching the gaze of the clan head.

"Good morning, Aburame-sama," Kiba bowed before smiling sheepishly. "Sorry for bargin' in like that."

Shibi shook his head. A friend of Shino's was always welcome.

Kiba smiled before turning towards the stairs. "Oi, Shino! Get a move on!"

The bug user glared at him as he walked down the stairs.

"It's about damn time," Kiba grumbled. "Lets go!"

Shino nodded goodbye to his father, who nodded back. The two boys rushed out of the house.

Shibi continued his meal in contemplative silence. What had his son wanted to say earlier? Something seemed different about him, but though his bugs recognized a change they could not tell him exactly what it was. And…

Since when were he and Tsume's son such close friends?

-00—

Hinata sat cross-legged on the floor of her room. Akamaru was seated in her lap, barking away.

"One more year?" she gasped. "We were sent that far back?"

Akamaru barked.

"I see. No doubt the others are on their way as well."

Hinata stroked his fur, marveling at his small size. She didn't remember him being this small, though he had always been able to ride on Kiba's head.

She looked around her room, taking in its lack of color. This had been a time when she had not believed in her self, and only hid in the shadows.

"Neji is alive," she whispered, burying her face into his soft fur. "So is my father, and Hanabi. They won't remember anything. Neji probably still hates me."

Akamaru licked her cheek.

She sat up, sending him a smile. "It's alright. As long as they are alive and I have the ability to keep it that way."

Setting the dog on her bed she began to get ready for the day. Dark blue shinobi pants, a short sleeve fishnet shirt, and a dark green tank top. She looked down at her old jacket.

"I'm not the same as I was back then," she told her canine friend. "I used this jacket to hide from the world, in hopes that it would simply pass me by. It was a gift from my mother. She had hoped I would grow into it."

Picking it up she folded it gently on the bed.

"I don't need this anymore. I can handle the world now."

Akamaru yipped happily.

"Yes, I'll keep it. A reminder of who I once was."

She opened her window for him to jump out. It wouldn't do anyone any good to see an Inuzuka dog with the Hyuuga heiress traveling through the clan building.

"I will meet you outside."

Closing the window she made her way out into the hall as silently as she could.

"Where do you think you are sneaking off to?"

Hinata closed her eyes harshly at the sight of her cousin. It was to soon. How could she possibly face him after what had happened?

"It is your fate to be forever weak. Do not think avoiding the clan head will change you path."

Hinata forced herself to take calm, even breathes until his presence was far enough away. The image of him smiling at her, blood streaming down his face, brought tears to her eyes.

"It will not happen again," she whispered harshly to herself. "I will not fail you again, Neji-niisan. I promise."

-00—

Ino curled into a tight ball as the boiling water pounded on her shoulders. She had forgotten how nice a warm shower felt, and it almost made her forget.

Almost.

The death of her father had caused a great change in Ino. She did not cry when she got the news. Instead, she grew more determined. Inoichi's job had been handed down to her and she thrived at it. Shikamaru had been worried at first, watching her close off her heart. But those whom had been in it in the first place were treated with even more love than before. No one new could reach her, but she didn't need anyone else. While Chouji's death had left her bitter and sad, her father's death made her indestructible. Ino thought she had long gotten over the pain.

So when she had awoken that morning and had found her father cooking alongside her mother in the kitchen, she had not been prepared for the heart wrenching agony. Her mother brought a sad hopefulness but her father…

Ino had run back up the stairs and locked herself in the bathroom. Now she sat in the shower, trying desperately to stem the flow of tears.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door.

"Ino?" her mother called. "Sakura is here to pick you up. I'm so glad you to are friends again! I told you that silly little fight wouldn't last long."

Ino's head shot up.

"Be out in a minute!" She replied, forcing her voice to be steady. Turning off the water she stepped out and looked at herself in the mirror.

No scars, little muscle, some baby fat- the look of a child. She couldn't recognize herself. Only her eyes, the sharp steal blue that hid everything, gave her any sign that she was looking at herself.

With a heavy sigh she dried off and pulled on her clothes. Just a simple teal tank top and a pair of white shorts. Drying her hair, she threw it up into a ponytail.

She looked at the door steadily. All she had to do was walk out the front door. She didn't even have to pass by her father. It would be fine.

Reaching a trembling hand towards the doorknob, she steadied herself and opened the door.

-00—

Sakura stood awkwardly in front of the flower shop. She used to enjoy being out in the open, breathing in the fresh air, but now it made her feel paranoid. Far to many ambushes had taken place in a setting such as this.

Gritting her teeth, she shoved her gloved hands into the pockets of her brown cargo pants. Those, and a dark pink tank top had been the only things ninja worthy in her closet. Her entire search of the house for anything she could remotely use as a weapon had turned up painfully lacking.

"I can't believe I was so unprepared," she thought angrily. "No wonder Sasuke hated me."

She blew a strand of hair out of her face. She would have to ask Shino to cut it for her. The bug user was a surprisingly adept stylist.

"Sakura!" Ino smiled brightly as she threw open the door. She ran forward and scooped her into a hug.

Sakura's irritation melted away as she returned her friends embrace. "Ino."

She frowned at the slight, barely noticeable tremors in the blond's arms.

"Ino, what's wrong?"

Ino pushed away. She rubbed her temples, trying to calm herself. "It's just… I saw my dad."

Sakura smiled sadly. It had been painful when she had spoken with her parents. They were so happy, and _alive_. It hurt to look at them. But she knew the death of Ino's father had affected the blond more than she would admit, even to herself.

Ino looked up when Sakura placed a steady hand on her shoulder. Her green eyes shone in understanding.

"It'll be okay Ino." Sakura laughed. "I can't believe I'm saying that, after all this, but for once it's true. Everything will be alright."

No one had believed anything would be okay for a long time. There was just no chance of it happening, especially after all the death. She remembered the last time someone had told her that.

Kakashi had told her not to worry, and that everything would be fine. He said to tell Naruto he was sorry he couldn't say goodbye to him before he left, and that he'd make it up to him when he got back.

He never came back.

She shook her head to get rid of the dark thoughts.

"We have a chance for once, Ino. The next time you see your father, just remember that this is a new life. Here, in this time, he never died. He's still in retirement most likely. And this time you can keep it that way."

Ino nodded, a small smile on her lips. It would take awhile, she had years of grieving (or lack thereof) to come to terms with, but Sakura was right. They had a chance to make everything right.

"Alright, enough of this morbid talk. We have plenty of time for that later. Do you know where the others are?"

Sakura nodded. "We didn't plan anything but I'm pretty sure I know where they're headed."

"The Hokage Mountain."

-00—

Sasuke cupped his hands under the faucet and splashed water onto his face. The cold made him shiver slightly. Placing his hands on the rim he looked into the mirror. A young face, far to young, stared back at him with familiar obsidian eyes. Gone were his scars of gruesome battles, gone were the callouses showing years of harsh training, and gone was the overwhelming amount of anger and hatred that once took over his entire being.

Instead there was a child who was given more than he ever deserved and a second chance to do what he should have done all along. Instead of chasing the ghosts of the past he would focus on protecting those still with him, a number that had shot up in less than a day. He would not fool himself into believing he cared for the village. Even now he still blamed the council for what they had done to his family. But his friends, his… family, was here and that was all that mattered. Perhaps he could even protect his brother this time.

Turing off the water Sasuke reveled in the peace in the air. During the war the air had always felt charged and he had not relaxed in years. The Uchia complex was large and empty, but he was used to being alone and it actually left him feeling more at ease. He had long gotten over the death of his clan. He still mourned their loss and would never forget them, but their lives no longer haunted him as much as they had.

Tugging on his dark blue shirt with his clan symbol embroidered proudly on the back as well as his back shorts, Sasuke rolled his shoulders. He would meet up with his… friends, and he would learn what exactly was going on and when they were.

It was time to begin their final strike against Madara. This time, they would not fail.

-00—

Naruto jogged around the village at his regular pace, sweat poring down his body. He wore a white tank top and white shorts instead of his usual orange jumpsuit. He didn't want to gain anyone's attention, especially not now.

He had too much to think about.

He'd had another nightmare last night, this one far worse than the others. The village had been destroyed. No one had survived. Naruto had watched as blurred figures had rushed towards him, yelling something he couldn't quite make out. There was so much pain and blood. He had woken up shaking and gasping for breath once again.

Shaking his head violently he pushed himself faster. This had been happening nearly every night since he turned five. Some dreams were more vivid than the others, and some were so blurred and confusing that he felt dizzy when he woke. One time, when he had been getting desperate to understand what was happening to him, he had asked the old man what was wrong with him.

The look Sarutobi had given him sent chills up his spine and he never asked again.

So no one was made aware of idiot Naruto's predicament. He kept his usual smile on his face and deflected any questions like with ease (though it was a very rare thing for anyone to ask about his health). It had always been safer, being the moron. He wasn't seen as a threat and most people left him alone. It had been one of the greatest decisions he had ever made even though it was agonizingly hard in the beginning not to shout at some one else's stupidity.

Naruto paused, looking up at the sun. He had about an hour or so before school would start. He had just enough time to do a quick run of the Hokage Mountain and go home to take a shower. He might even have time for a quick breakfast at Icharaku's before he had to be at school (his usual twenty minutes late).

Nodding his head, Naruto began to jog up the long, winding staircase. For some reason he felt lighter and almost happier. Not a common occurrence after one of his nightmares, but he would take what he could get.

"Today's gonna be a good day," he thought, a small true smile quirking his lips as he looked out upon the village as he ran. "I can feel it."


	3. Chapter 3: It's a prank?

**Okay, so in case it wasn't clear, Naruto does not remember everything from the future. He was pretty much dead when he performed the seal so it kind of screwed with things. His memories were sent back a lot further than the others but they were really scrambled and his kid mind couldn't take it so they are repressed but show themselves through dreams. This has changed his personality a bit, since it happened when he was so young, but not too much. I've always believed Naruto is smarter than he appears because you can't just grow up being hated without having some massive emotional drawbacks, added to the fact that he now has dreams about gruesome wars, he is a little more cynical but usually only in his thoughts. On the outside he acts the same as the anime and manga but I'll try to show what he's 'really' thinking when stuff like that happens. Personally I think he's a frickin genius with how he can come up with stuff out of thin air sooooo, yeah. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter! I'll respond to reviews before every chapter so please review and I would appreciate constructive criticism if you have some. Flames will be ignored. **

**Reviews:**

**Sanz0girl: Thanks :)**

**littlebabyturtlelove: Can't help it, I love angst and hurt/comfort too much.**

**Abbey: Agreed on all accounts! Personally I liked Shikamaru, Ino, and Shino's the best. I didn't actually know what to write for them at first and but they just kind of wrote themselves and I adore them!**

**Enjoy! Would've wrote more perspectives but I thought I had kept you guys waiting long enough so here you go. Only Naruto and Sasuke this time I'm afraid.**

-00—

Chapter 3: It's a prank?

-00—

"A good day my ass," Naruto muttered angrily, rifling through his drawers with one hand and holding his towel up with the other. "The hell is their problem?"

Grabbing his orange jumpsuit he returned to the bathroom, trying his best not to slam the door.

He knew he shouldn't be letting something like this get to him, in hindsight it wasn't even a big deal, but for years he had come to expect a certain kind of routine and to have it blown out of the water in such an unexpected way made him a little irritable.

His usually calm, relaxing jog up the Hokage Mountain had been interrupted when he had stumbled upon some kind of meeting. He hadn't even made it all the way to the top before he had been bombarded by what appeared to the entirety of his ninja class. In retrospect, there hadn't really been that many people but on that small stairway combined with the fact that groups of people never wanted to just talk to him, he was understandably overwhelmed. They had started chattering away excitedly once they caught sight of him, asking him a bunch of questions that didn't make sense, and they all seemed overly happy to see him.

Naruto's reaction could not be held against him. The only times someone was happy to see him was when they were planning something against him (unless they were the old man or Iruka. They actually like his company… most of the time).

He did feel a little bad about socking Kiba in the face but the idiot came at him so fast how could he not think it was an attack?

After that things seemed to spiral downwards into absolute chaos. Sakura and Ino (since when were those two friends again?) started yelling at him, asking him what happened and if he remembered everything and, ugh, if he was okay. Remembered everything about what? Naruto couldn't recall anyone planning a meeting this morning and even if they had he was pretty sure he wouldn't have been invited. Maybe that was why they were mad? He wasn't supposed to be there? But then why were they asking if he was okay? Those two especially never cared about him before.

Kiba surprisingly didn't start raging and attacking him, he just kind of stood there looking shocked. That quiet girl (HIna- something) was trying to get Kiba to snap out of it while staring at him with the saddest eyes he had ever seen as if he had crushed all her hope in a single blow. It was like a punch to the gut and he felt overwhelmingly guilty, even though he was pretty sure he had never done anything to her.

Shino had been behind them staring him down behind those sunglasses of his. Naruto had been able to pick up the faint buzzing of his bugs and, while he didn't have anything against them and actually thought they were pretty awesome, it had sent a chill down his spine.

Then what to his wandering eyes should appear but the almighty Sasuke Uchia. The _hell_ was he doing there? The bastard hated being around people, much less fan girls, and he hadn't started mocking him the instant he showed up. In fact, he seemed, dare he say it, happy or at least comfortable around all of them. He had even nodded at the blond! Something was seriously not right. Naruto had thought it might have been some elaborate prank and probably would have applauded them if it were. It took a lot to surprise him and this definitely did.

The only one that had acted semi normal was Shikamaru, though he did have a weird look on his face the whole time. He had simply asked Naruto what he was doing up so early in the morning and Naruto, still off balance by the sudden meeting, had told him the truth. He was going for a jog.

Naruto zipped up the front of his jumpsuit, frowning in confusion as he thought about what happened. Now forgive him for not knowing all there is about human society but he was pretty sure that a jog was normal for most people, annoying little village pariah or not, so the sudden deafening silence that followed his statement wasn't really called for in his opinion. What, just cause he was an 'idiot' he couldn't exercise like normal people?

The worst part was when Sakura hugged him. It had been so long since he had had positive human contact (once again, outside of Iruka and the old man) and it took everything he had not to shove her violently away. Sure he had a crush on her, he had always been amazed at how she had gone from the shy girl in the back who was always picked on, to this outgoing, confidant girl who wouldn't let anything get her down (except Sasuke but that guy can be a total prick), but to actually like her enough to let him into his personal space? No, he didn't think so. Even with Iruka he was cautious about how close he was. The only one that could touch him without causing him to tense up and look for the nearest escape route was the Sandaime and that kind of trust had taken to old man years to build up.

The sudden shock had cleared his head and he was able to brush her off without making it look like he wanted to throw her clear across the village and had beat a hasty retreat. With any luck they would think their prank had worked and leave it at that. Unfortunately this little side adventure had made him late and he had to cut his shower short and skip most of his morning stretches as well as skip breakfast, which was the main reason why he was so upset.

"…Just add more on tonight's… weird… maybe they…. Stupid Sasuke-teme…" He muttered to himself as he closed his apartment door behind him and locked it. Thumping his head on the wood for a second he plastered a large grin on his face and threw his hands behind his head before strolling out of his building and down the streets towards the academy.

People turned to glare at him hatefully or just stare at him blankly but he ignored them. Just because they wanted to take time out of their day to hate him didn't mean he had to take time out of his. It had bothered him once and it sometimes still did on his bad days, but he had long since become used to it. And the violent reactions to his presence had died down considerably thanks to his new 'personality' so that was always a plus.

As he approached the gates of the school he was pleased to note that the sun was positioned half way above the school. He was right on time.

Keeping his gait light and carefree, he strolled into the building and towards his classroom. Taking advantage of the sudden lack of malice being directed at him since none of the teachers could see him he allowed his face to fall to it usual blank expression. Now don't get him wrong, he wasn't some emotionless bastard like a certain someone, he just preferred to keep his emotions hidden away were no one could see them. It was better that way.

"Naruto!" a voice echoed from around the next corridor.

The blond grinned mischievously. He turned the corner right when one of the classroom doors slammed open and an irate Chuunin stormed out. The man was growling under his breath and his face was turning dangerously red.

"Ah, Iruka-Sensei," Naruto called, waving when the man turned to him.

The brown haired man froze before storming over to him. He picked Naruto up by his collar and started dragging him towards the classroom. "You're late! And on your first day to!"

Naruto struggled fruitlessly against his grip. "Awww, come on Sensei. I'm not that late and my alarm clock didn't go off."

Iruka scoffed. "Yeah right. That's your excuse every time Naruto. Couldn't you at least try to be on time? How do you expect to graduate if you never show up?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. The only reason he hadn't graduated yet was because of that damned cloning jutsu and the dumbass council. "Hey, I show up for the important stuff! Why do I gotta know about some dead guys to be a good ninja?"

Iruka's dark brown eyes burned. Pausing outside the room he lifted Naruto so they were eye level. "Those 'dead guys' are the heroes of our village. Our Hokages. I thought you wanted to be Hokage, Naruto."

Naruto pouted and crossed his arms. "I will be Hokage, and the best one to! Believe it!"

Iruka sighed. "I do believe it Naruto. Kami help me, but I do. However you can't just keep throwing your studies away! If you need help just ask me but I can't help you if you never show up in the first place."

And this was the problem Naruto has faced every day since Iruka became his teacher. His true teacher. In the past he never cared about his teachers and they never cared about him. Everything they taught him was useless and purposefully sabotaged so he stopped bothering trying to learn from them. He really only ever came to class because there was a mandatory amount of hours he had to have in order to not be kicked out of the program and those hours were spent getting payback against the teachers that took things to far.

But now he had Iruka. Someone who actually wanted him to learn and who cared for not only his academics but for his health as well. Now Naruto felt almost guilty for skipping out on classes even though he already new what they were teaching. He hadn't spent all those afternoons doing nothing. No, he had been training or sneaking into the library to try to catch up to the rest of his classmates. He already knew everything they were going over and there really was no point to him showing up. But Iruka wanted him there and it hurt to let him down so he had started showing up everyday but came late to accommodate his morning training.

Naruto pouted at the ground, folding his arms in front of his chest. Iruka sighed and set him back on the ground.

"I know you don't think any of this is important Naruto, but it really will help you in the future. Please try to show up on time from now on."

Naruto laughed boisterously and threw his hands behind his head. "Yeah, sure Iruka-Sensei."

Iruka rolled his eyes. He had no doubt that his blond student would be strolling in late again tomorrow.

"Just get in and take your seat."

Naruto hummed happily to himself as the door swung open. Ignoring the piercing stares of his classmates (great, now they were staring at him. Was their prank still on going?) he plopped down in his seat near the back and swung his legs back and forth.

"Alright class," Iruka smiled as he took his place behind his desk. "Welcome to, with a lot of hard work, your last year of the academy." The students cheered. "Now don't think that this year will be easy. It will be the hardest year in all of your time at the academy. You will have to prove yourselves worthy of the shinobi name. If you can't then you will either have to retake this year or leave the academy." The class was silent under his stern glare. "Being a ninja is a life long profession and sometimes that life is cut short because you are a ninja. This year is going to be your last chance to decide on the path of your life because once you graduate there is no going back."

The room was filled with a tense silence. They were all used to the Iruka that would encourage them and tell them all the great things about being a ninja. They weren't used to him telling them that they might die young because of their life choice.

Iruka smiled at them all brightly. "But you have all year to think about that and this year we will be covering things that will hopefully help you make that decision. Just take things one thing at a time and carefully think over what you want to do."

Naruto snored loudly, drawing the attention of the class.

Iruka felt his eyebrow twitch as he stormed over to the blond. "Naruto!"

Naruto blinked up at him blearily before his eyes cleared and he grinned. "Oh, hey Iruka-Sensei. Is class over?"

Iruka clenched his teeth as his hands balled into fists. "You little brat," he gritted out smacking the boy upside the head.

Naruto thought he should get a little slack. For once he hadn't just been pretending to sleep (who the hell sleeps in the open when everyone hates you?) and had actually dozed off when Iruka was giving his admittedly boring speech. Not his fault. Really. The amount of sleep he had gotten over the last few weeks was dreadful, even with his usual bouts of insomnia. In fact, he felt himself dozing off right now. Maybe Iruka would be to into his lecture to notice.

-00—

Sasuke sighed under his breath, his eyes closed and his hands folded in front of his chin. He blocked out the sounds of Iruka's lecture as he attempted to clear his mind.

Naruto didn't remember.

Sasuke could deal with that. The others were depressed that they would now have to go through with everything without the blond but Sasuke believed it was for the better. Naruto had done to much for him, far more than he could ever hope to repay, and if the selfless idiot could some how be spared all the pain those memories would bring then Sasuke would make damn sure he was left happily oblivious. Out of all of them, Naruto deserved a better life the most and he would be so much happier if he didn't remember. Sasuke was almost relieved he didn't remember.

But something wasn't right.

As a kid well into adult hood Sasuke never really bothered to pay attention to others but the little orange wearing parasite known as Naruto always found a way to catch his attention. Whether through some ridiculous prank or amazing feat of strength Naruto managed to make him focus long enough that Sasuke gained the ability (no matter how unwilling at the time) to read him like a book. He knew Naruto was smarter than he pretended to be, knew the smile had become a reflex even before he himself had left the village, and he knew that against all odds Naruto was impossibly optimistic. It also helped that as children, Naruto's emotional defense was not as strong as it had been in their future, making it almost to easy to see what was going through the dobe's head the moment he walked through the door. A skill that only added to Sasuke's confusion.

Sasuke cracked one eye open and glanced at the boy being lectured. Naruto had his arms folded and seemed to be listening to Iruka intently, his eyes closed as he focused. It was only the familiar dip of his chin that alerted Sasuke that he was in fact asleep.

Naruto shouldn't have that amount of control yet. His ability to feign sleep that well had only come after Sasuke had returned in order to fool everyone that he was in fact working and not skimping out on paperwork. It had taken Naruto at least a month to learn and yet here he was, an 11-year-old boy with no recollection of things to come, fooling a Chuunin into actually believing he was awake.

At first Sasuke thought it was a prank and that the moron would laugh, 'gotcha!', and prove to them he did in fact remember and simply wanted to give them a scare. But he was _sleeping_.

Sasuke didn't remember when it started but at some point the remaining Konoha Twelve had begun developing odd sleeping patterns. If they didn't sleep a certain way insomnia would kick in and they would never rest. Ino needed one of them in the same room (preferably her teammate or best friend), Sakura had to be sitting with her back against something, Kiba needed to be upside down for some reason with Akamaru right by his head, Shino needed have one hand resting on Kiba's head and the other on Hinata's, Hinata needed Akamaru or Shino to be her pillow, Shikamaru needed to be in his thinking stance in an enclosed space, and Sasuke himself needed his sword in hand while he rested near the most likely place for an enemy to appear from so that he might be the first to defend. If something prevented them from sleeping in that way they would simply meditate or not sleep. Each and every one of them could go weeks before they started to feel the pull of exhaustion, Naruto even more so thanks to the Kyuubi.

Naruto was the hardest out of all of them to get to sleep. The fool needed all of them to be with in a five-mile radius to be able to get a restful sleep and that was damn near impossible even before the war. It was safe to say that Naruto got into the habit of simply not sleeping and even on the rare chance his requirement was met he preferred watching over them instead of taking advantage of the situation. Needless to say, if he did remember he would most likely have been staring at Iruka so intensely the man may have had a panic attack, not nodding off mid-lecture.

So why was it that Naruto was acting like he had in the future while doing things he would only ever do in the past?

Sasuke didn't know and the more he thought about it the more pissed off he became. He preferred straight and to the point, not confusing riddles and twisted plots.

The Uchia glanced around the room at the others and could see their sad looks as they watched their leader. It was obvious they hadn't realized yet. The only one who seemed to have noticed was Shikamaru.

"Well then," Sasuke thought, leaning his head on his hand and staring out the window. "He's the strategist, he can figure out the how's and what's. As long as the Dobe isn't doing anything stupid I'll leave it be."

With a barely noticeable nod to himself Sasuke allowed his mind to wonder to his brother and possible outcomes for the future. The Council would most defiantly be against him, beloved child prodigy or not. Danzo would most likely turn them all against him and go for a silent assassination to prevent anyone from getting the information.

Sasuke smirked, allowing a small snort to pass his lips. He'd like to see them try.


End file.
